“Looking on the red carpet at this year’s BAFTA award ceremony I noticed that the majority of the girls have gone with simple up-do’s. Maybe it’s the hot nights we’ve been having this past week but it was all about the Summer blondes too! Radio One DJ Fearne Cotton and The Only Way Is Essex star Lydia Bright have always got more of a vintage edge with their fashion style, which as usual looks fabulous. This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby looks absolutely stunning too

“Fearne’s deep waves is a personal favourite whether it’s an up-do or an everyday look. Lydia has gone for a side bun which is a very popular up-do for clients in our salons at the moment and also an easy one for them to recreate at home. If you wanted to recreate this type of bun then have a look at our tutorial video here.

“Holly looks amazing in her glamourous pink Jenny Packham gown. Very cool in the heated London night with her sixties-style California waves, Holly could have walked straight in from Charlie’s Angels with her voluminous rich-blonde locks. A style to look out for this Summer, which we featured in our Summer blondes post recently.”

On the red carpet itself, there were some stunning dresses – for both the right and wrong reasons! – and some great hairstyles. Little Mix, the winners of The X Factor, were looking bang-on trend as they continue to amaze everyone with their colourful style and big and beautiful hair. Anna Till, stylist and a member of our Artistic Team at our Brent Cross salon, says, “Big curly hair, smooth rock-chick-look with accessories in their hair is what it’s all about for them right now. Big on personality, big on style.”

Many of the gents were looking particularly dapper in their sharp suits and clean-cut images. Mark Wright of TOWIE appeared with I’m A Celebrity… and wore his hair neatly tapered with a good helping of gel to complete his smooth suited and booted look. This can be easily achieved at home by using our Regis DesignLine Slick Whip defining gloss. Gary Barlow was also a winner in the style stakes with a modern take on the 1920′s look. A short, neat cut that was both modern and stylistically retro, Mr. Barlow wore the sides and back short whilst keeping the length on top and styled to the side.

Claire Palmer, a stylist at our Deansgate Manchester salon, says that “this can be achieved by asking your stylist to taper the side in short whilst leaving the weight throughout the top. It can then be sliced in to reduce excessive weight but avoid the temptation to go with thinning scissors or too short layers. This style is all about the smooth! Style this using Refined Texture by Wella Professionals SP styling range to create this suave do”

For Jayne Dempsey, a stylist and member of our Artistic Team at our Trafford Centre salon, the best hair of the night went to Fearne Cotton. Complimenting her 1920′s-style dress to perfection, her slick-back hair and understated, quirky style looked amazing and complimented her personality down to a tee.

Congratulations to all the winners and commiserations to the runners-up. Perhaps next year will be their year? Either way, we’re looking forward to some fab new trends this time in 2013!

Festival season is coming up fast! So for all the fun loving party people here’s my top styles on how to look good in the fields and the mud this summer…

If you have long hair, why not rock a fishtail plait like the gorgeous Fearne Cotton? This style is quick, simple, looks great and would last you a few days!

For our top tips on creating a fishtail plait, check out our video…

However, it’s not just the fishtail plait which can be festival friendly. You can rock a variety of styles including:

•    Plaits coming away from the face looks great! Curl your hair before you go to your festival, and plait loosely. This would then allow the hair to drop over several days, giving your plait an extra feminine edge!
•    A quiff at the front of your hair following through to a ponytail at the back is a great style for festivals as it’s funky, fresh yet so simple! You can even spice this style up by wrapping a small section of hair around the band to give your pony that little bit of edge!

Now that you’ve got the styles to rock at your festival, what products should you take along to make sure your locks look funky and fresh throughout the festival? Here’s my top hair survival kit for long hair!

•    KMS California Hair Play Makeover Spray
•    Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo by TIGI
•    Regis Designline Powder Boost

These vital products will give your hair a fresh and revived look. Just spray at the roots to keep your hair looking revived and refreshed!

But if you’ve got short hair, don’t fear you can still rock a stylish look for festival fever! Here’s my top products for giving short hair that all matt effect:

•    Regis Designline Sculpting Mud
•    Sebastian MicroWeb Fiber

If you want a smoother and sleeker look for your short locks, try:
•    Regis Designline Slick Whip
•    Bed Head TIGI After Party

Just use a small amount, rub into the hair, mess up and away you go!

I hope these top tips tips help you with through the festival season – enjoy, have fun, and most importantly keep looking on trend!

So with braids bigger than ever and fishtail plaits making a splash this summer, we show you to create your own fishtail plait in our latest video…

5. At number five we have the messy up ‘do. This style is simple to achieve, yet will give your hair an edgy look! This look has been spotted on the red carpet and has been rocked by one of our hair icons, Fearne Cotton. Teaming her Ombré locks with a messy up ‘do, Fearne gives her hair that all important edge! However, we think Kate might give this hairstyle a miss on the big day – but might keep this style in mind for the after party!

4. From a simple braid to an elegant fishtail plait, this look is a classic and has been a favourite with celebrities in 2010/11. Rocked by the likes of Fearne Cotton and Pixie Lot this style is great to achieve a wide variety of looks. If Kate Middleton chooses to style her hair in a braid, we think she’ll go for timeless, classic plait as worn by the likes of our favourite braid beauty Edith Bowman!

3. In third place we have the gorgeous side bun as worn by our favourite Yummy Mummy – Holly Willoughby! This style is bang-on-trend style and everyone in the celebrity world has rocked this look on the red carpet! It’s a great style that can be created for either a day in the office or a night out with the girls. Even those this a classic style which suits everyone, even Kate Middleton, we think Kate might save this style for those relaxed summer evenings!

2. In at number two we have the side bun’s elegant counterpart, the chignon! This chignon is a beautiful, timeless hairstyle which instantly adds that all important chic to any look. The chignon is a favourite choice with celebrities on the red carpet – Lauren Conrad is certainly a fan and she looks fabulous with her classic chignon! We think the chignon is a definite contender in the run up to the Royal Wedding…

1. Ever since Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement back in November, rumours about how Kate Middleton will wear her hair have been numerous. However, the same style keeps popping up again and again, and it seems to be the firm favourite for tomorrow. And what is the top secret style you ask?! Well it’s simple, classic, elegant and more importantly Kate Middleton always looks fabulous when she chooses this style. Yes… it’s wearing her hair down! Kate has the glossy, shiny hair we all dream of and it looks stunning when she wears it in this relaxed style!

Well there you have it – the top five hairstyles we think Kate Middleton might choose for her big day! We’re going to be covering the Royal Wedding live tomorrow, so why not join us in the hair debate on our Facebook page or Tweet us?!

Dip dye hair has been around for years now! It has changed a lot over the last 2 years,it used to be a ‘dipped’ look about the hair using colours such as pink, blue and green.

But recently we have seen celebrities like Nicki Minaj rocking the rainbow colours once more as dip dye is making a comeback! It’s not only Nicki Minaj who has dared the dip dye, Lady Gaga rocked dip dye hair last year at the 2010 MTV Awards where she donned the fanous ‘meat dress’!

However, if the rainbow dip dye hair is a little too vivid we have Ombré hair which gives a more subtle bohemian/surfer look. Celebrities such as Alexa Chung, Drew Barrymore and Fearne Cotton have been seen to rock this look this year.

The dip dye/Ombré look is the most popular style in Regis salons at the minute as it’s a low maintenance look which still looks good all year round. I’m certain dip dye hair will be around for a longtime and whether it’s extreme or subtle I love this year’s hottest look!

One of the most unique fishtail braid hairstyles is the side fishtail plait, more and more celebs are wearing this latest look.

It looks less severe than the French fishtail plait and is perfect for women who have defined features. It gives a slightly messy look to the style and it is just right for women who prefer some hair to frame their face.

The side fish tail plait looks great for as a slightly rocky look as worn by Fearne Cotton or as a more classic look which could be worn for a big night out with a stunning off the shoulder dress. To recreate Fearne Cotton’s hair, you need hair that has been washed two to three days previously. First, brush your hair with a wide toothed comb to make sure that there are no tangles. Now, slightly dampen your hair with water and then apply a Designline Get It Pumped volumizing mousse to the entire length of your hair. Blow-dry your hair and secure in a low ponytail with a deep side parting. Bring all the hair to one side, preferably opposite to that to which the hair is parted.

Now it’s time to plait the hair! Begin braiding the hair by first dividing the ponytail into two sections. Take a small section of hair from the right hand side and then bring it over the left hand side. Repeat the same step on the left hand side. Continue braiding the hair in this way until you get to the end of the ponytail. Secure the end with an elastic band. you can always pull out some of the ends to give your look that all important edgy appeal!

70s inspired big candyfloss like curls ladened with frizz is going to be a big trend this Spring – the bigger and bouncier the better! Also from the 70s the revival of the centre parting will be another huge look thats going to be seen a lot this Spring. This trend has already been rocked on the red carpet by Amy Adams at the Annual Directors Guild of America Awards earlier this year.

Spring hair is notorious for being fun, flirty and super feminine and 2011 is no exception! We are going to see lots of hippie chic with random braiding and side swept plaits – this really is the season to go all girly!

The Ballerina bun is going to be a huge look this season! Prim and proper top knots were huge on the catwalks and is going to be a key trend for the spring. They can be worn in so many different ways: high, low, sculptered or soft and flirty! This look has been seen on some of our favourite celebs but we love Diana Vicker’s take on this classic style.

The ponytail is one of the most simplistic styles and this season it’s back! Smooth and sleek, or texturised and voluminous the ponytail is here to stay this Spring. We love Nicole Kidman’s simple, yet sophisticated, ponytail which she rocked on the red carpet at the Oscars 2011!

Waves and curls are back with a bang this season! It’s all about wearing them very long, feminine, soft and angelic! Think big tumbling waves and surfy tousled locks as worn by Natalie Portman at the ‘No Strings Attached‘ premiere.

Another key trend for the Spring is the blunt fringe! This adds a dramatic and edgy effect to any hairstyle. Music sensation Jessie J is currently rocking a blunt fringe slashed just above the eyes and we love it!

Sleeker silhouettes will be making a comeback this Spring. Think the classic slicked back look, side partings, strong lines and wet look finishes are key. We love this look on American hottie Megan Fox and homegrown beauty Alesha Dixon!

The Ombré hair trend is huge at the moment and is going to get even bigger this Spring! It’s the hottest cutting edge colour trend and with celebrities such as Alexa Chung, Drew Barrymore and Fearne Cotton rocking this look it’s going to be one to watch this season. However, we will see a change in the ombré colour, so be sure to watch for more caramel colours emerging into lighter ends.

2011 is the year of the red head! We’ve seen a lot of celebs, such as Christina Hendricks, Rihanna and Cheryl Cole take the plunge already and this Spring we’ll see many more opting for ravishing red locks!

This season is fantastic for blondes! It’s all about adding vanilla hues, eccentric rose and gold tones to compliment an overall base colour of cool clean blonde, and isnt it about time blondes get a wider colour palette choice.

Here at Regis UK Hair Salons we’re passionate about bringing you the latest news on up-and-coming hair trends. Throughout 2011 we’ll be bringing you our Style Spotter feature that showcases the biggest trends happening at the moment. This is the place where we’ll be bringing you the hottest hair styles and tantalising trends that will be shaping the year ahead. This week we’re talking ombré hair!

Colour made a big statement in 2010, from subtle shades to extreme tones being used to create that dramatic ‘do! How could we forget the radiant red, which the likes of Rihanna and Cheryl Cole rocked last year? Or the vivid dip-dye look? This look has been popular with celebrities who are not afraid to be in the limelight! Lady Gaga wore platinum blonde hair with electric blue tips for the MTV Video Music Awards last year, whilst R&B singer Nicki Minaj hosted an array of dip-dye looks including platinum blonde locks with parrot green tips at the American Music Awards.

Now, the dip-dye trend is not for the faint hearted, but one of the subtle alternatives to come out of style is the ombré hair effect – also known as Balayage Hair. By using two colours, usually dark at the roots and a lighter tone at the ends, it gives the hair a subtle dip-dye effect without blowing the bank. The great thing about this look is that it’s low maintenance and easily changeable. This will be an important trend this year as more people try to find easy and low cost ways of changing their locks! Take a look at this video from Regis HQ, where we show you how to get bang-on-trend ombre hair…

However, it’s not just us here at Regis who love ombré hair! An array of celebs have been rocking this style and here are some of our favourites…

First up we have Britain’s Queen of Fashion, Alexa Chung! Opting for chocolate brown roots with honey blonde tips, Alexa shows us just how chic ombré hair colour can be. By wearing her locks in natural waves, Alexa’s two-tone ombre colour is softened. The result? A simple, chic and sexy look!

Next we have Fearne Cotton. Choosing the same colours as Alexa, Fearne has added an interesting element to her locks. Opting to wear her hair up, her Balayage style gives Fearne’s locks an interesting edge as her honey blonde lengths frame her face perfectly.

However, it’s not just us Brits who are opting for ombre hair! OC star Rachel Bilson has also chosen the dip-dye ‘do. Choosing a dark mahogany base teamed with caramel lengths, Rachel shows us a sexy alternative to the ombré look.

Finally we have Drew Barrymore. By adding blonde tips to her luscious brown locks, our favourite boho chic queen looks stunning with her ombre hair! By wearing her locks straight, Drew shows off the graduation of colour perfectly. This look is great for Drew, as it creates an effortless subtle statement!

So there you have it, how to get fabulous ombré hair! With some of the key fashionistas rocking this look, it’s clear that the ombré effect is here to stay. If you want to liven up your locks with a splash of colour, why not visit your local Regis hair salon today to make an appointment…

The ombré look is a variation of the vivid dip-dye hair effect which was worn by celebrities such as R&B singer Nicki Minaj last year. By using two colours, normally dark at the roots going through to a lighter tone at the ends, the ombré look gives your locks a subtle dip-dye effect which looks sexy, stylish and is bang on trend! Fashionista favourites such as Alexa Chung, Drew Barrymore, Fearne Cotton, Lauren Conrad and Rachel Bilson are currently rocking this look and their ‘dos all look fabulous!

Check out Julie Anne and Jayne talking ombré in our exclusive video blog:

So, if you want to liven up your locks for 2011 then why not visit your local Regis hair salon and ask your Regis stylist to give you the ombré look!